1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to exercise or physical therapy apparel and weight packets therefor.
2. Related Art
Over the last decade, public interest in health and fitness activities has increased dramatically. People are exercising more, eating better and, generally, engaging in activities for enhancing their physical health.
Various types of apparel have been designed for exercise or physical therapy activities. With the recent increase of public interest in personal physical health, such apparel has become very popular in recent years.
Some of such known apparel can be categorized as "weighted apparel", wherein the garments are provided with pockets or other mechanisms for holding weights. Various types of "weighted apparel" are exemplified in several recently issued U.S. patents.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,369 to Prince (issued May 24, 1983) describes an "exercise suit" having a jacket and pants. Numerous pockets are spaced about the outside of the jacket and pants. The pockets carry bags of liquid which provide a weighted load. However, such liquid filled bags tend to be bulky and uncomfortable to carry. Furthermore, the liquid tends to slosh around, constantly changing pressure points and offsetting balance, during physical motions of the wearer's body.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,302 to Watson (issued May 10, 1983) describes a "weighted training vest having several weight blocks which independently attach to panels of the vest by "weight attaching members". The weight blocks secure to the weight attaching members with loop and hook self-gripping fastening devices of the type sold under the trademark VELCRO. Straps wrap around the vest and a wearer's torso to pull the panels of the vest snug against the wearer's chest and back. However, such rigid weight blocks tend to be relatively bulky and uncomfortable when held against a wearer's body and tend to pull away from and separate from the wearer's body as the wearer bends or stretches in various manners.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,387 to Zakrzewski (issued Jul. 29, 1986) describes another weighted vest wherein a number of independent weight bars are held in a corresponding number of pockets along the chest and back panels of the vest. Yet another weighted vest is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,012 to Egbert et al. (issued Jul. 19, 1983) wherein a number of "weight capsules" fit snugly into a corresponding number of pockets provided over the chest and back panels of the vest. U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,442 to Tomlinson et al. (issued Apr. 21, 1987) describes another weighted vest which includes a number of pockets designed to receive a corresponding number of weights. Each weight has a dense solid core of lead or lead alloy surrounded by a padded coating. However, "weight bars," 37 weight capsules" and weights such as described in these patents are relatively large, bulky, rigid members which suffer many of the same disadvantages mentioned above with respect to the Watson patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,239 to Walsh, Jr. (issued Dec. 1, 1981) describes a device which straps to a user's thighs and which includes pockets for holding canvass or vinyl tubes of weighted matter, such as lead shot or sand. However, the lead shot or sand tends to shift around inside of the tubes during physical activity. Additionally, the sand or shot filled tubes tend to be relatively large and bulky.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,386 to Louis-Jeune (issued Sep. 25, 1990) describes athletic leg wear which is provided with removable pocket assemblies, each pocket assembly having one or more pockets adapted to hold one or more weights. However, the arrangements of weights within pockets, as described in the patent tends to be relatively rigid and inhibits bending in plural directions. Additionally, the patent is directed to a leg wear garment as opposed to a garment to be worn above the waist or a full body garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,856 to Fox, III (issued Sep. 4, 1990) describes an exercise garment for holding weights at locations chosen for strengthening muscles used in walking and running and for improving walking and running form. The garment includes upper leg straps having weights at positions along the hamstring, lower leg straps having weights at positions in the back of the calves and a waistband formed of neoprene. An upper waist strap joins a T-shaped section which follows the spine and which includes a weight extended along the spinal cord and weights behind the shoulders and upper arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,497 to Gracie (issued Oct. 4, 1983) describes a weighted exercise suit which includes two "weight strips" that are removably attached to the suit over the shoulders. The weight strips secure to the suit by VELCRO fastening means. Each weight strip contains a number of pouch-like compartments for holding weights. The weights may be rectangular lead wafers, lead shot or stones.
Known weighted apparel, such as discussed above, has been found to enhance stamina, strengthen the wearer's muscles and promote better exercise form during exercise activities. Such known apparel typically includes weight members positioned about the wearer in a manner specifically designed to promote the development of muscle tone and muscle form, and is, generally, not designed to promote bone development and bone stimulation. Additionally, many of the known weighted apparel designs employ relatively large, rigid weight members which do not conform well to the wearer's body movements, bends and flexures during physical activities. Many of such known weighted apparel designs employ mechanisms which allow weights to separate from the wearer's body and shift around during strenuous physical activities. For example, many of such known apparel designs employ weighted matter in the form of sand, lead shot, stones, or similar material which tends to displace and shift, constantly changing pressure points and overall balance, during physical activities. Furthermore, many of such known weighted apparel designs employ relatively large, bulky weights, such as pouches of sand or sacks of water, which tend to hinder some body movements and which tend to be relatively uncomfortable and cumbersome to support.